Few historical anniversaries gripped America's interest as fervently as the Civil War Centennial did in 1961-1965. Feature stories on the War Between the States appeared in newspapers and magazines. Books on the conflict flew off retail and library shelves. Public television aired documentaries on famous battles and their personalities. Southern battlefields recorded sharp rises in attendance. Dedicated hobbyists invested thousands of dollars and hours to painstakingly duplicate authentic period uniforms and restore vintage black powder firearms. Many buffs participated in encampments and battle recreations.
The Civil War began April 12, 1861, when renegade Southern states under the command of General P. G. T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The causes are too complex to be covered here, but the primary issue was slavery. The agrarian Southeastern states imported African slaves to produce its crops, especially cotton. The industrial North relied on immigrant labor to run its factories. The industrialists knew they could not compete financially against the South's slave labor, and they were concerned that slavery would expand as the country developed westward. The Southern states resisted the North's intrusion into their economic system. The North favored a strong central government; the South wanted a looser confederation, preferring to maintain autonomy within each individual state.
Eleven Southern states ultimately seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. The four-year war between the North and South would claim 600,000 lives, bring freedom to four million black slaves, and destroy nearly $5 billion in property before the last Confederate army surrendered on May 26, 1865.
1-CD DigiPac (6-plated) with 64-page booklet (incl. all lyrics.), 24 tracks, Playing time approx. 71:14 mns.
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